Morphic Savant (Summoner Archetype)
It’s no secret that summoners, with very few exceptions, draw from extraplanar sources with their magic, calling upon beings from the Great Beyond to serve, not only with summoning spells but also their eidolon.
Whether their eidolon is a wholly unique being, or draws specifically from the essence of an outer plane in the case of an unchained summoner, they are still very much beings from beyond the veil. However, some summoners not only call up minions, but also allow a bit of their plane of origin seep into their very magic.
One such variety of summoner is the morphic savant, which draws upon at least one chaotic realm for their power, thus allowing them to make their eidolon and even other summons just a little more mutable, warping them to suit their needs.
The nature of their eidolons are always chaotic, and in the case of those unchained summoners, this translates to their eidolons being azata, protean, or demonic in nature. Furthermore, the form of their eidolon is extremely mutable, having three separate base forms with different arrangements of limbs that the summoner can pick from each day, allowing them to choose the best one for the day’s challenges. However, this daily mutability comes at the cost of the number of evolutions these forms have.
The nature of their summons are also chaotic, all extraplanar animals being entropic in nature, and only summoning chaotic outsiders. However, their natural ability of summoning in unstable, with half the time summoning extra creatures at the cost of the extended duration normally associated with summoners. Additionally, their summons are a bit altered compared to other creatures, sporting new attacks, limbs, or abilities, though these are minor and can’t seem to outstrip their eidolon in versatility.
Finally, the magic of these summoners is augmented by knowledge of certain chaotic magics, namely those that ward against law or deal harm with raw chaotic energy.
There isn’t a lot of support for character concepts that stand somewhere on the law and chaos axis, but this is certainly a good start in that regard. If an extremely versatile eidolon with three forms appeals to you, consider this archetype, especially with the ability to customize summoned monsters.
Whether they are merely freedom-loving mystics, anarchists for anarchy’s sake, or self-indulgent types, violent or otherwise, it’s easy to fall into the trap of having these characters act utterly randomly with no other motivation than what the player finds funny at the time. I’ve spoken at length on this before, but it bears repeating: Chaotic does not mean random or having no attachments, it just means a refusal to let law and order get in the way of what they want to do.
For their part, its hard to say for certain if the summoner is really in control of their eidolon, commanding it through camaraderie in the case of azata, suggestion for proteans, and violent coercion in the case of demons. Certainly there are no rules for the eidolon turning on its master, but roleplaying personality clashes can be interesting.
With an eidolon shifting between omox for the water, lilitu for social situations, and a vavakia for battle, Ekir seems well-equipped to bring the abyss to the material plane by way of the ocean’s depths, the merfolk cultist reveling in chaos in an attempt to ward off a paranoia of aboleth control. Exactly what evils he will end up perpetrating are unknown, but he must be stopped regardless.
The elder wyrm Urniskasar is a knowledgible being indeed, having learned much of divinity on every side of the moral compass. This makes him a useful font of protean lore, as he has the depth of experience without the incoherent rambling mindset. This certainly includes the secrets to becoming an aligned summoner such as a morphic savant, an unwavering conduit, or the theoretical good and evil counterparts. The trick, however, is finding and waking the mighty dragon, as wel as proving worthy of their time.
Eager as they are to oppose tyranny and the corruption of free will, azatas often make the effort to put the secrets of becoming a morphic savant in the hands of would-be summoners, guiding them to become a living bastion through which not only can an eidolon manifest, but also other azata, ready to defeat mortal tyranny and the diabolic plots behind it.
